Hundreds at IIT Kanpur use drugs, insiders aid peddling: Probe

The IIT-Kanpur administration said on Saturday that an internal probe had revealed “a few hundred” students used drugs, adding that the situation warranted immediate action.

“As per an internal assessment (probe), a few hundred bright students of the institute are using drugs on the campus and the situation is alarming. We have raised the issue with district magistrate Surendra Singh, who has acknowledged the fact and assured an immediate and appropriate response,” acting director Professor Manindra Agarwal told TOI on Saturday.

He said some students had been identified as being severely affected by drug abuse, “but many more are yet to be identified”.

“The investigation has revealed the role of ‘insiders’, including security personnel, temporary staff and also students, in peddling drugs on the campus. We are now planning to hold counselling sessions for the entire student community in the next semester, beginning January, to keep them away from drugs,” he said, adding that affected students will “be counselled for holistic de-addiction”.

“To improve thescenario, we need to counsel our students and tell them about the harmful effects of drugs. But there is also an urgent needto identify and crack down on drug peddlers for whom students are a soft target. The situation has reached such a pass that there is no other way left but to take direct action against drug suppliers and also students who won’t see reason,” said Agarwal.

He said several gangs of drug peddlers active in the area are targeting the students. “We suspect that the peddlers are from neighbouring areas such as Nankari village. A few months ago, we had got five drug peddlers arrested with drugs in their possession. Also, names of some of the students had come up who were counselled. The arrests had impacted the drug supply on the campus for a while, but it resurfaced after some new drug suppliers emerged and became active,” he added. He also said that after assuming office in January this year, he had contacted UP STF and got a raid conducted after receiving specific inputs about drug menace on the campus.